Eat for the week and stock your freezer!
Unfortunately, when it comes to food, one size doesn’t fit all. Some folks eat raw, others are vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free. Food shopping is just as diverse; some are avid coupon-shoppers, others buy in bulk, and still others aren’t really concerned about prices beyond staying within a specified budget. You can shop weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly. Menu planning—for a week, for a month, or not at all? Even the actual cooking and baking can be done daily, once a week, or even once a month!
I think we Home Managers need to stop trying to fit ourselves into someone else’s mold. If coupon shopping works for you, great! But don’t make your neighbor feel guilty that she doesn’t hit all the stores and grab all the specials. If you’re a large family, probably bulk is best—but that might result in a lot of waste for a smaller family. Gluten-free, organic, or raw foods—sure they’re better for you…but it’s not necessary that everyone follow this pattern.
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ne thing that maybe we can agree on is that the more foods you cook from scratch, the better. Processed (convenience) foods tend to be full of additives and preservatives, and certainly aren’t as inexpensive or as healthy as the home-made alternatives. On the other hand, using a small portion of convenience foods alongside of (or as a component of) a homemade dish isn’t the worst thing that could happen, either.
Something else that perhaps we’d all like? Spending less time in the kitchen and simplifying our menus! That gives us more time for important things, whether discipling our children and building those relationships, enjoying time with our spouses, or serving the Lord in whatever way He leads us. Not only can simplification of our food choices make cooking less time-consuming, but it’s usually less expensive as well.
I’m not a once-a-month or even once-a-week cook; factoring homeschooling and several littles into the equation, it’s more overwhelming than helpful to try to fit so much into one day (particularly the clean-up!). However, I do like the idea of having some meals ready-made for those days when I don’t feel like cooking or don’t have time, or for occasions when a friend could use a meal.
Over the years I’ve tried making and freezing meals with multiple components (for example, BBQ chicken, rice, and vegetable), but I don’t like the expense involved in buying the aluminum storage containers that are somewhat necessary when using this method. It’s also hard to store these in the freezer in an organized manner. I occasionally make and freeze meal components (ready-cooked ground beef or taco meat, muffin batter, etc.) and this is somewhat easier because I can use Ziploc bags for freezing. However, these end up requiring work when they are defrosted, and that very often defeats the purpose for which I put them up in the first place.
Recently I undertook a week-long experiment to try to make and freeze two meals every time I made one, and in accordance with my goal of “simplification,” they were all one-dish meals. I wondered how everyone in the family would react to having some type of casserole every night, but actually we ended up with enough variety that it wasn’t even an issue. (Also, I tried to add a salad or fresh vegetables in addition to the main dish.) So by the end of seven days, I had made seven reasonably-healthy, homemade meals for my family, and put seven meals in the freezer!
The benefit of one-dish is that I could use two 13” x 9” pans, one for the evening meal and the other lined with parchment paper for freezing. (And actually, I tried a few without parchment and they came out just fine.) Once the contents of the pan were frozen, I filled my sink with a few inches of hot water and set the pan in it. With a few strokes of a knife or spatula to the edges, the whole thing popped out in one piece and I simply wrapped it in a couple layers of foil. Now, to reheat, all I have to do is unwrap and defrost it in the original pan and then stick it in the oven at about 350? for 30-40 minutes or until it’s hot.
I think it is just as easy to cook two meals as one, although you have to make sure you have big mixing bowls and enough ingredients. The clean-up takes a little longer, but not so much that it’s overwhelming. If this method of stocking your freezer with meals appeals to you, I thought I would share my week’s worth of one-dish recipes. There’s plenty of room for modification (based on your ingredients on hand, taste preferences, or dietary needs), but hopefully it will give you some ideas and inspiration. I’ve created a separate file of recipes so that you can easily print them and add them to your recipe binder or card collection. Enjoy!
Thanks!